According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, 53-year-old Martin Adler, of Bend, drove his live-in girlfriend out to Paulina Lake Road, ignoring her requests to take her home. They say he tried to strangle the 23-year-old woman and, fearing for her life, she pulled a small knife from her pocket and stabbed him in self-defense.

She was able to flag down a car for help; the driver allowed her to call 911 and took her to the Sheriff's Office substation in La Pine to meet Deputies.

Adler was later found at a La Pine home and flown to the hospital with serious injuries. On Wednesday, he was taken into custody on charges of Coercion, Strangulation and Assault IV.